Statistics show emails remain the top communication method in the corporate world.
62.86% of professionals use emails as their main mode of communication.
This method is especially important in marketing and internal corporate communication. Sending emails nowadays goes beyond tapping or clicking the send button.
The number of messages delivered, opened, read, and acted upon is crucial.
Factors like email content, quality, and service providers all impact deliverability.
Recently, there’s been concern that adding images to emails could cause them to be marked as spam. But is that true?
Let’s understand some common reasons why emails get blocked and are images responsible.
Read on.
Why is my email getting blocked?
Several things make your emails get blocked.
Every email provider has installed various spam filters in their systems. These are tools that prevent harmful and irrelevant emails from reaching a recipient’s inbox. These filters nowadays are smart because AI powers them.
AI helps filters to scan emails and decide which folder they should go to.
Some of them go to your spam folder, while others go to your main inbox. They do this based on historical data and other AI algorithms. These filters scan the following.
- They scan the content in the mail and test its images. It also tests the links, texts, and attachments.
- The filters scan the technical details of the mail to see if they are correctly set. This includes mail settings like DMARC and DKIM.
- The tools check if the sender has a bad reputation. If they have, their emails will likely be blocked or directed to spam all the time.
- Another important thing is the engagement rate of your emails. The tools check the click, reply, and open rates of your emails.
Based on these checks, it decides whether your email will be sent to the inbox or to the spam folder.
Is there a relationship between images in email and deliverability?
Online security is a major concern for people using emails.
Filters from email providers ensure that they offer maximum email security to their clients. People do not like to receive spammy images so they often send them to spam boxes. Just as you would use an app to hide pictures on iPhone, delete the unnecessary ones and not open the suspicious ones, many people on the internet use the same policy with images.
This brings us to another important question - what role do images play in emails? Are they important?
Let’s quickly cover this:
What Role Do Images Play in an Email?
- Boost Engagement
Including images in your emails can significantly increase engagement. Visual elements capture attention and make your emails more appealing, encouraging recipients to interact with your content.
Research shows that emails with images have higher click-through rates compared to those without.
- Simplify the Message
Images help break down complex information into easily digestible visuals. A well-chosen image can illustrate a concept or highlight key points, making it simpler for your audience to grasp the message quickly.
This visual simplification aids in conveying your message more effectively.
- Attract More Attention
Emails featuring images stand out in crowded inboxes. The human brain processes visuals faster than text, so including compelling images can grab attention and entice recipients to read further.
This can be particularly beneficial for making your emails more memorable and engaging.
- Encourage Quick Responses and Actions
Visual elements can prompt immediate responses. For instance, a clear call-to-action button or an attractive product image can drive recipients to take the desired action, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or exploring more about your brand.
- Enhance Retention
Images have strong retention capabilities. They help reinforce your brand’s identity and message, making it easier for readers to recall your brand days or even weeks later.
A memorable visual can leave a lasting impression, helping your brand stay top-of-mind.
So, images can help you make your emails more engaging.
But do they impact deliverability?
The answer is both yes and no.
Largely no - if done in the right way.
Yes - if you fail to take care of key things.
What can make images in email to be marked as spam?
Below we have shared a few things that make images in emails to be marked as spam.
Let’s check them out.
Images that lack alt text and accessibility
Alt text means the text included in an image to describe it.
In case the image fails to load, this text appears instead. It lets the reader know what it is about. Images that lack this text will not likely be delivered. It might be viewed as a phishing email image.
Filters view images with alt text to be more trustworthy. They will likely deliver the messages to the inbox folder.
Too many images compared to text
Some people might include too many images in an email leaving it with limited text.
This could cause the filters to mark the mail as suspicious. This should not discourage you from using images in your emails. What you need is to balance the ratio.
Ensure your message contains just enough images and do not overdo it.
The difference between hosted and embedded images
Embedding images means adding them directly to the email without linking them.
This method increases the chances of your emails being flagged as spam. People who send phishing emails often embed images to hide malicious links. Emails with embedded images also look larger.
The best way should be to host your images by linking them.
Your email structure and size
Most email providers hide some content if your email is larger than 102 KB. The provider may also hide some content if the email structure is poor and disorganized. The message might not be marked as spam but the images might be hidden.
You can increase deliverability by ensuring your emails are not heavy.
Having talked about the key impacting factors, let’s also quickly check the disadvantages of having images on your emails.
What setbacks can images have on your emails?
Images increase the size of your email messages. This can be a disadvantage in some servers because they might get blocked. Larger or more images in the message affect loading time. This happens when the content becomes too heavy. It can affect the speed of your website and detour potential readers.
Spam filters sometimes mark an email as spam due to the types of images in the message. Using images, however, automatically marks your emails as spam. Many other factors come into play as discussed here. Some people may program their servers to block certain emails by default. They may include emails with images in the settings.
Ways to increase email deliverability when you include images
Images do not automatically make your emails go into spam folders. They do not automatically lead to the blocking of your messages. There are important best practices you can implement when using images in emails. These decrease the chances of marking your messages as spam. They significantly increase deliverability.
Choose provider and server wisely
Unreliable servers increase the chances of your emails being marked as spam. Host your images on a reliable server to avoid problems with spam filters. Adopt a habit of adding alt text in your images. This increases the chances of passing the spam test by filters. An increased deliverability volume means you will get better responses from readers.
Optimize your images and choose quality over quantity
Optimized images are not too large but have the right size. Search information to know the best image size and type for use in emails. The image should look attractive and high quality. Use editing tools to create a sharp image that attracts more attention. Quality is always better than quantity. If you want to use more images, balance the image and text ratio.
Test and monitor engagement
It helps to test your images before sending them. There are useful tools for testing how your images will be viewed by spam filters. Improve them until they pass the litmus test. Monitor the way people interact with your images in emails. If the read and open rate is higher, it increases trust by filter tools. Your images will perform better if you link them to mails instead of embedding them.
Conclusion
When selecting images, choose those that are personalized to show you understand your prospects. While images are effective, too many can trigger spam filters; opt for a few high-quality ones.
Using 1-2 images in your cold emails is generally safe and won’t harm deliverability, so you can enhance your messages with visuals without worrying about them being flagged as spam.
If your emails are brief—under 500 characters—ensure the image-to-text ratio is balanced by including just one image.
Steer clear of GIFs, as they can decrease open rates and may trigger spam filters.
Prioritize a good sender reputation and proper technical configurations, including SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX Records.
If you’re sending a high volume of emails, utilizing a warm-up tool like Smartlead can help optimize deliverability.
Author’s Details
Smridhi Malhotra
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